I’ve been alluding to it here and there, and certainly on Facebook, that I’ve hit a sort of burn-out. The cursor pauses to harass me with its accusatory blinking. “Are you REALLY going to publish this, Brandy?” it says.

A breath.

Wow, so much to say. And at risk of interrupting said book review to divulge personal real-life stuff, I’m going to say this. Going from 7 boys to 8 boys in just 19 months was a big jump for me. It threw me for a loop, okay? Now, I can hear some of you chuckling (in my head), and saying, “What!?! You were just now thrown for a loop at the birth of the 8th child?” Or….”It took EIGHT boys to finally rattle your cage, Brandy?”

Okay, so there are a whole lot of messy details to dig through here, and honestly, I’m not quite ready to publish what I’ve been processing internally, but can I just tell you that I’ve been living in survival mode for about, oh, 8 months now?

You’re not familiar with “Mom Burn-Out”?

Oh, okay.

Well, it’s pretty much when you’ve gotten so sick of living in survival mode that you’re just downright cranky and you take personal offense to the fork who hatefully stabbed you in the finger when you were loading the cotton-pickin’ dishwasher for the umpteenth time that day because no one else flippin’ cares and you’re all alone and doomed to living in chaos and piles and you resent anyone who remotely has any fun because you never get to but who needs fun anyway if you’re so tired you can’t even see straight and by the way, I need some coffee but we’re out and isn’t. that. just. great.

You caught all that right?

I talked about it here briefly, but can I just tell you, that there is no perfect solution. No magic bullet. There will never be The Complete Guide to Perfecting Homemaking because it doesn’t exist.

I know this probably sounds like the worst sales pitch ever, but trust me, I’m getting to my point here.

And the point is that the problem isn’t really the stuff all around me. Sure, we have too many clothes and dishes and need to purge so that I have less to process. Sure, we could streamline our chorelist a little and reduce privileges and crank it up a notch on teaching responsibility, and yeah….That would definitely affect the bottom line here. My level of burn-out would reflect said changes.

For a while. Until all those things wore off.

Then we’d be back at it again. Or I would be back at it again. At the place where I am now. Trying to figure out how to bail myself out of this water-logged vessel I’m in, no pail in sight.

Is it me and my approach? Or is it this water?

Because last I checked, I still feel like I’m shoveling snow in a blizzard every day. Trust me, you do NOT want to come over here and help me.

The point is this: I need more self-discipline.

I know the things that I need to be doing, but I spend so much time with shovel in hand, it seems I can’t ever make it to the “other stuff” that Crystal talks about us moms getting to do. No, I’m not talking about “girls night out”. I’m talking about taking the next step in my business. The next home management project that would make our lovely home more inviting and homey. I’m talking about making time to do things that are important to me like training for my very first marathon. Yeah, I want to do that. But no. It’s not on the list because I know I’m too “in the weeds” right now to carve out that kind of time to make that commitment.

Yeah, I get the big picture, folks. This blog is named The Marathon Mom for the reason that I know what it takes to stay committed to raising these kiddos. So you bet your boots that tackling a subject as ugly as Mom Burn-Out belongs right here.

Crystal’s book, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life may not have all the answers to pulling myself (or yourself) up by the bootstraps and getting going again, but it DOES motivate me to take the next steps toward a more productive, organized and disciplined life.

I’ve already decided on my Mega Project for the 21 days, and I will be sharing more about it soon.

In the meantime, I want to encourage you to buy the e-book and start tomorrow. For the rest of today (Thursday) the book is only $.99!

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you chase 8 boys around all day, shuffling them to and from school, church, football, Costco, and then cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, nursing, and everything else. Maybe you are a new mom with only one or two wee ones. You know what? I remember being SO overwhelmed with only two. Wherever you are in your journey, this book can definitely bless you.

Comments

I want to win this for me! I read your post, and it could have been me writing it. That has been me lately, and I didn’t really realize how much I just need discipline in my own life. I think I have just been motivated!

I just started teaching full time again and not keeping up so well with being a working mom. I lost it when my boys were fighting last night and can relate to the mom burn out. This book sounds perfect me.

Great giveaway! I’d like to win this for myself. I’ve been in such a funk. I get up every day and feel like I need more of a purpose. I need more motivation. Thanks for hosting the giveaway and for the opportunity.

Ooooh nooooo! I loaded this page last night and being a mom of many never got back to it til this morning and missed the 99c offer! I would have bought it in a sec if I had seen that! Would you offer it again at that price? Winning would be awesome but I wouldn’t have hesitated to purchase last night if I had just got back to the page. Then maybe this morning I could ahve gleaned some encouraging advice that might have finally helped me get closer to that “self discipline” I’ve been struggling to acheive for most of the 24 years I’ve been married. {:-y

OH! WAIT! I jsut clicked through the links and found it was still offered at 99c on Amazon.. I loaded and got it on my kindle for pc! But I am worried there may have been a glitch as I never had to enter any payment info…credit card # or anything. Not sure if I actually paid for it or not. Please let me know if I owe 99c. I have paypal. I am excited to read the book! THANK YOU!!!

I’d love to win this one for me! I, too have had that same internal conversation about the fork, and the dishwasher! All too often, these things lose their luster, and we begin to lack the joy that we can have through Christ. I’d love to read all the great advice in this ebook!

I’d love to win this book for me. I am feeling a bit of mom burn out as well and keep trying to pull myself out of it, only to slide back in! It was like you were in my head on your “rant!” Thanks for keeping it real!!

I have mommy burn out so badly right now and I only have 3 kids. Last week I felt like I was at least able to come up for air a couple times a day this week I am drowning and grouchy!! I hate it, my kids hate it, my poor husband! I really need to get more organized and figure out where I am going so wrong. I was seriously thinking about just putting my oldest in school today but maybe I need to work on organization a little more before I give up on homeschooling.

Thank you so much for posting this. I have been sitting here all day trying to figure out how to pull myself out of this burnout I’m currently in. I just gave birth to my fourth child and my third in 3 years, and I feel like all I’m doing is putting out fires day in and day out. I’ve been chastising myself for not being able to keep my kids busy enough and stimulated enough as I try to just survive each day. It means a lot to know that even moms of many get into these slumps. Although I suppose I’m also approaching the mom of many point! Again, thanks for your honesty and you’ll be in my prayers!

I would like to win a copy for me! I am training for my first marathon and feel like I’m neglecting my house- its a disaster!! Plus I’m taking in other people’s unwanted items to sell online for them…and its making my situation worse but better because I’m making a little money on the side?? Ahhhh!!!

Don’t beat yourself up…after having my eight child I was in shock at how fast my house went down the dumps…the time alone just sitting and nursing (one of my favorite things) took so much away. Now with 13 I can say that God gives us a survival mode to save us from ourselves some time. I look back and wonder how I did it and thank God for carrying me through. (like the footsteps poem)

I’m feeling a lot like you lately! I think it was pretty timely that I came upon this post. I have an almost 4 year old, a 2.5 year old,a 9 month old and found out I am pregnant with our 4th. I am kind of freaking out. I feel like my head is barely above water as it is, let alone adding another little one! It doesn’t help that I feel so exhausted most of the time. I need to get more organized, especially with the holidays coming up. I feel like I have little patience most days and am quick to snap and yell, which makes me feel worse. I’ll say a prayer for you and one for myself.